Nonprofit leader Christa Williams to run for Columbia City Council in District 1

Christa Williams has long worked to get people engaged in the electoral process in South Carolina. Now she’s looking to be on the ballot herself.

Williams, who heads the nonprofit Rural South Carolina Project that seeks to enhance voter engagement in rural and underserved areas, has announced she plans to seek the District 1 seat on Columbia City Council. It will be her first time seeking elected office.

One other candidate, attorney Tina Herbert, has announced she will seek the District 1 seat. Councilman Sam Davis has represented District 1 for 23 years, but announced he is not running for reelection this year.

Aside from the Rural South Carolina Project, Williams, 36, also works for the state Department of Corrections and is a member of the SC Army National Guard. She told The State she has been thinking of running for the District 1 seat for some time.

“When I heard Mr. Davis was retiring, I thought that was the perfect opportunity to run for office,” Williams said. “One of the things that is important to me is community. I have a nonprofit and that’s one of the things that we focus on around the state, bringing awareness to rural and underserved communities and finding ways to empower them through voting and through the democracy process.

“So, running for this is very important for me, because District 1 is a mix. It’s a mix of inner-city, underserved communities and some areas that are growing and prospering.”

District 1 is a majority African American district in the northern part of the city and includes the revitalized North Main corridor and longstanding neighborhoods such as Greenview.

Williams lives on Colonial Drive, not far from Columbia College, where she studied business administration and political science.

Williams said she has been talking with District 1 residents who have shared a number of issues they want to see addressed, including litter pickup, improvements to the trash and recycling system, a more transparent platform to express their concerns to Council, code enforcement, loud music and speeding in neighborhoods, and more. She said she will work to find solutions to the issues.

On Monday, Davis formally endorsed Herbert in the District 1 race. Williams wasn’t concerned about that.

“My whole thing is, if an individual wants to run, they don’t need to ask for permission and they don’t need to wait on endorsements from anyone,” Williams said. “When there are multiple people running, it keeps everybody honest of what their true intentions are. It pushes candidates to get out there and do what they are supposed to be doing.”

Columbia’s elections will be Nov. 2, with runoffs on Nov. 16, if necessary. Aside from District 1, seats up for election this year include mayor, an at-large post, and District 4.

This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 10:42 AM.

Chris Trainor

The State

Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 21 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.